Life of the Meeting

Newtown Meeting is an active and thriving religious community. We are inclusive and multigenerational. We encourage and support each person to participate fully in the life of the Meeting. In our belief that there is that of God in everyone, we recognize the vital role each individual contributes to the ministry and vitality of the Meeting.
Key opportunities to contribute to the life of the Meeting are:

Participating in Meeting for Worship: Members are asked to come with minds and bodies prepared to spend time in expectant waiting on the spirit, without having first determined to speak or not to speak. A Friends’ worship experience by the discipline of opening oneself to being led, and an important dimension of worship is deep listening to the spirit that prompt a message. No effort should be made to judge the content of messages. The experience of worship is deepened by practice, and regular participation strengthens the community.

Participating in or teaching First Day classes: First Day classes are provided for the spiritual education of adults and children. The Meeting is enriched when adults participate as teachers for the children’s classes and presenters for adult classes. Read more about our Youth Programming.

Be a mentor: Connect with a young person in the meeting and get to know each other. Connecting and sharing between generations strengthens the Meeting community and offers a greater richness to discover things on our spiritual journey together. If you are interested in being a mentor or finding out more about our Mentor Program, go to the Mentor page.

Welcoming: feeling welcomed and welcoming others are inseparable. Please take time to greet others after worship.

To attend meeting for business: Learning Friends’ business practices assists our faith community and can bring understanding that is useful in living one’s faith in everyday experiences.

To serve on committees: At Newtown Meeting all of the Meeting’s work is done by volunteers through our committees. As we have no paid clergy or staff ti is essential that Friends share the work of the Meeting.

To provide financial support: Every member is expected to make a commitment at a level commensurate with his or her own personal finances, to support the Meeting. Members are also encouraged to support the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Annual Fund. Go to the Donate Page to find out how to make a donation to the Meeting.

To participate in the life of the Meeting: Working side-by-side with other Friends on committees, in the kitchen, or on cleanup days for the grounds enables us to learn about the lives and families of others, which adds depth to the community and to the worship experience.